


Route 66, Retold

by ifijust_layhere



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: AU route 66, I hate Beth, Multi, Sad, and he pulled out a gun, sorry about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 04:18:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17594480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifijust_layhere/pseuds/ifijust_layhere
Summary: Route 66 but no Beth





	Route 66, Retold

**Author's Note:**

> Please don't read if you are sensitive to mentions of death or guns, season 9 and 5 spoilers! Also, slash

Aaron paced the movie theater walkway dressed in his most admirable suit. His head spinning with the confusion that was created by someone dead, dead yet still sitting in a theater seat. The heartbreaking weight from seeing her had been almost worse than carrying her coffin. Her head turned the moment he reached the row of seats.

“Hi Honey! I saved you a seat.” Hotch failed at remembering the last time Haley spoke the love once embedded in their shattered marriage.

Aaron was hesitant to sit down beside his deceased high school sweetheart, eyes now watery staring as Haley’s smile toward him grew unbelievably wide. He took in the sight of her depth, her crimson stained lips, and an emerald green dress. A style she'd traded for motherhood at her old auditions, at a time when they were still young and alive.

Even seeing pictures at times could be too much but this was overwhelming, “You look so beautiful.” His words were scratchy.

“You're not so bad yourself,” The blond woman replied as if they were fooling around on a date.

“I miss you,” The real Haley would know that but guilt begged him to make sure she knew. At this moment she was his lifeline beeping alongside the doctors' murmurs and mutters.

She acted blindly to his emotions. “I know.”

The two of them sat in content silence. In what seemed like hours but was just seconds, the theater screen began playing. The memories he and Jack had made since Haley's death recollected into an abstract film of solace.

For Haley, the picture brought nostalgia as she took in the sight of her son and ex-husband’s memories together. They reassured her that Jack was cared for. Her gratefulness for Aaron keeping his promise to her, a pact the parents had made before she was murdered in cold blood.

Quickly the pictures with him and Jack were accompanied by another familiar face. Spencer Reid. A person who'd turned into Aaron’s security blanket and unbelievably important to his life. Of course, the two agents had never gone into details about their relationship. They'd kiss, sleep together in the same bed, banter, go to lunch, light teases. Jack and Spencer had the ability to animate his bad days. Never minding persistent and sly comments made by Jess and his brother Sean.

“Is that Dr. Reid from your work honey?” Haley's grinned never faltered, even as the memory of his and Spencer's first kiss flashed before the three pairs of eyes.

Then much as it all happened in real life, because Hotch knew deep inside that this wasn't real life, barged in George Foyet. With Haley's invite. She didn't flinch at George's company, she didn't cry or scream. This man was her murderer who Aaron had beaten to death with his fist.

“Wow, I did not expect that from you, Mr. Serious. I'll admit that he is quite handsome. Imagine the gruesome fun I could indulge in.” Foyet taunted prompting Aaron's shoulders to tense.

Haley's hand intertwined with Aaron's before he breathed out his confession. “Yes, I'm sorry.”

As the investigation of his memories continued his apology went ignored. The image of Reid and Jack performing magic tricks, reading together and throwing fists full of popcorn at Aaron, they starred in the blithe moments he used to overlook.

Haley would comment on specific scenes, light joking between her and Foyet as they considered the relationship.

Hotch had been the only person startled by Foyet pulling out a gun, the same pistol he had killed Haley with. Hotch watched with shock in his eyes, hearing the shot that lodged a single round into her abdomen.

Aaron was numbed as she continued devoting her attention to the movie. “Wow, he's so good with Jack, I guess your diagnosis of ‘The Reid Effect’ was wrong." Haley's posture remained perfectly intact, bullet and all. "And look at the three of you, you're smiling again Aaron.”

She talked while he immediately placed his blazer over her wound, blood staining the pure green silk. “No, no. There's too much blood. I can't, I can't save you!”

Her eyes gazed down on him, softly speaking as her blood spilled out relentlessly. “You're not supposed to.”

And all to quickly the film stopped along with the bleeding. Lights flickering on and he was alone. Aaron frantically pursued the duo out to the entrance his suit turned back to a white hospital gown.

The two figures turned facing him, “I want to stay here with you!” He pleaded to the mother of his child.

“Jack needs you, and you have Spencer who is waiting for you and loves you.” How could she be so calm about leaving again, why couldn't she let him go with her!

“I don't know how to do this without you.” He tried desperately, his trained mind refusing reason.

Her red lips molded into a smile. He remembers how he used to sift through her things and pray for one last chance to see that smile again. “Happiness is a choice, so choose!” He briefly wished it wasn't as persuasive as he remembered it.

“But how? How do I choose?” He was happy, a sense of happiness that still had him questioning himself and his decisions but happy nonetheless.

“Get out of your head, the heart is the one that knows, so follow it.” It was unbelievable, the amount of trust she had placed in him after everything they'd been through where it felt like his fault.

She hugged him goodbye before she intertwined her arm with a cocky looking George Foyet. Aaron's eyes were glued to them as they walked away from his dream, reality tore through him an immense amount of grief just like the first time. But the hole in his chest now seemed to have a thin sheet of closure covering it.

Rossi cab pulled up to the curb and beckoned him to wake up from his dream. He opened his eyes to a hospital room and the BAU's brightest technical analyst. "Hi, sir. Welcome back! Do you feel okay? Do you need anything?"

"What happened?" He had known it was a hallucination. A dream, but he needed confirmation from anyone who wasn't dead or supporting several IVs in their arms like himself.

"Uh. You collapsed and they performed emergency surgery because you were bleeding internally. The doctor said it had something to do with the stabbing." He made a face remembering the gun from the theater. Garcia looked regretful mentioning his past injury but continued, "But you're fine. There were some complications with the operation, but you're... you're okay. I mean, you're like as healthy as a puma, a bedridden puma. But my point is you're gonna be fine."

He exhaled the breath he'd been holding throughout her rant. His dark eyes met blue, showing the trust they'd shared over the years. "Garcia? Thank you for staying."

"Oh, wild horses, sir. Just... wild horses."


End file.
